Made for Europe

Cost and risk-effective sourcing from new markets

Neutral, competent, cost-effective

You are planning to import? Fresh fruit and vegetables? Cut flowers? Technical wood? Natural ingredients for foods, pharmaceutics, cosmetics? We have the contacts you need and are at your side throughout the entire sourcing process.

We network you with the right exporters.

Accessing new sources of supply is labour intensive and time consuming. There are plenty of risks and unknowns. You  can reduce your initiation, agreement and control costs with the Import Promotion Desk. Gain certainty and time as we have the contacts, information and communication channels to your new foreign suppliers.

Hand in hand with the German private sector

The IPD is an initiative of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (Bundesverband Großhandel, Außenhandel, Dienstleistungen e.V.) and sequa gGmbH – the development organisation of German industry. We are funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

IPD UPDATE 2 // 2021

In July 2021, IPD has embarked on its fourth project phase. We will be expanding our offer and taking on board two new partner countries – Morocco and Uzbekistan – in our programme. In addition to this, IPD will be opening regional offices in selected partner countries with immediate effect in order to further expand its work on the ground and, in particular, its cooperation with local export promotion organisations.

Read more about this in our IPD UPDATE.

»At the interface between development cooperation and foreign trade«

Interview with Dr. Julia Bellinghausen – Head of Import Promotion Desk
Dr. Julia Bellinghausen explains why supporting exports is an essential instrument in international development cooperation and outlines the IPD’s strategy for opening up the German and European markets to developing countries.
Read the entire interview

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»With the IPD we are closing a strategic gap at the interface of development cooperation and foreign trade: By eliminating trade barriers and information deficits, we contribute to the improved participation of emerging and developing countries in the global economy, but also support German SMEs in developing new procurement markets.«

Gregor Wolf
Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA)

»It is important for developing countries and emerging nations to integrate into international value chains and thus obtain access to new sales markets. This is where the IPD makes a valuable contribution: it opens the German and European market to producers from these regions.«

Anja Gomm
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

»Organisations such as the IPD are valuable tools for the economy not only in Germany but also in partner countries. The IPD provides German importers with information and connects them with suppliers. Even more important is the fact that the IPD and its partner organisations evaluate the suppliers and the information beforehand and therefore minimize the risk for European importers. For exporters from foreign countries, the IPD is an excellent platform to present their products and to get in contact to potential clients.«

Christian Körting Pacheco
Biomaderas GmbH

"One should think that with today's technical facilities it is easy to find new suppliers and customers in other countries. In reality,  this is a time-consuming and personnel-intensive effort. The IPD offers ideal networking opportunities in a wide range of sectors, facilitating, for instance in the wood sector, the establishment of new and safe commercial relationships with emerging and developing countries."

Nils Olaf Petersen
Gesamtverband Deutscher Holzhandel e.V.

»The import of food as a primary commodity for the processing industry up to the final product plays a vital role when it comes to enabling consumers to choose from a variety of tasty and safe foods. An interface such as the IPD promotes and supports business contacts between importers and exporters and thus creates an ideal platform for mutual trade relationships which are the foundation for a diverse and healthy food supply.«

Dr. Helena Melnikov
Waren-Verein der Hamburger Börse e.V.

»Exporters from emerging markets and developing countries and importers from Europe depend on all types of support from associations, Chambers of Industry and Commerce and other BMOs.The IPD is another useful tool to bring partners from Germany and abroad together.«

Hans Udo Bürk
Biotropic GmbH

»Numerous companies from the German nutrition industry depend on the import of high-quality food products.  Many of these raw materials cannot be grown in Germany at all or only to an insufficient extent. The Import Promotion Desk can play an important role in the establishment of a mutually satisfactory collaboration between food importers from Germany and reliable food exporters from selected commodity markets.«

Olivier Kölsch
Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Ernährungsindustrie e.V.

News

Bonn/Berlin // 14.04.2021
IPD presents Africa's fruit and vegetable diversity
 
Bonn/Berlin // 14.04.2021

IPD presents Africa's fruit and vegetable diversity

Exporters from Egypt, Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Morocco as well as from four other IPD partner countries show their high-quality product range at the virtual B2B event "Fresh Produce".
Bonn/Berlin, April 14, 2021 - Mangoes, grapes, citrus fruits, pomegranates as well as sweet potatoes, fresh herbs and sugar snap peas are part of Africa's fruit and vegetable diversity that exporters will present at the Import Promotion Desk’s (IPD) virtual B2B meetings. The offerings from Egypt, Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Morocco will be a focus of the Virtual B2B Event "Fresh Produce," which runs May 10-28. In addition, the import promotion initiative will present other companies from the IPD partner countries Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Ukraine. Following the cancellation of the Fruit Logistica Special Edition, the IPD has decided at short notice to present the range of fresh fruit and vegetables from IPD partner countries in individual video meetings.

Press release: IPD Virtual B2B Event Fresh Produce
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Bonn/Berlin // 14.04.2021
interzum 2021: Wide range of wood products from sustainable forestry
 
Bonn/Berlin // 14.04.2021

interzum 2021: Wide range of wood products from sustainable forestry

IPD present plantation teak, Guadua bamboo and classic wood-based materials from IPD partner countries
Bonn/Berlin, April 14, 2021 - The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) will be presenting a wide range of wood products from sustainable forestry at interzum, which this year will be held virtually from May 4 to 7. The import promotion initiative will accompany producers of plantation-grown teak and Guadua bamboo from Ecuador and Colombia, as well as Ukrainian exporters of high-quality table tops made from reclaimed oak and moulded beech wood components to this year's leading international trade fair for furniture manufacturing and interior design. "The IPD's aim is to present a diverse range of high-quality wood products and, above all, special timber species to the timber trade in Europe," says Frank Maul, expert for sourcing and markets at the IPD. "In this context, the legal and sustainable origin of the woods is a basic requirement of our commitment."

[Translate to Englisch NEU:] Pressemeldung: interzum - Holzprodukte aus nachhaltiger Forstwirtschaft
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Bonn/Berlin // 17.02.2021
IPD presents sustainable travel offers at virtual ITB Berlin NOW!
 
Bonn/Berlin // 17.02.2021

IPD presents sustainable travel offers at virtual ITB Berlin NOW!

Free services: IPD brings European tour operators together with reliable partners from developing and emerging countries

Bonn/Berlin, 17.02.2021 - At this year's ITB, the Import Promotion Desk (IPD) will present its entire tourism offer with 25 travel providers from Ecuador, Nepal and Tunisia for the first time. The travel offers are individual, distinct from mass tourism and particularly consider sustainability criteria. The import promotion initiative, a project of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has carefully selected the tourism companies and is now supporting them on their way to the European market. This year, the IPD's tourism offer is set to grow further, with the inclusion of Uzbekistan as a new partner country.

 

[Translate to Englisch NEU:] Pressemeldung IPD auf der ITB Berlin NOW!
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Events

Virtual trade fair // 06 - 08.10.2020
in-cosmetics 2021
 
Virtual trade fair // 06 - 08.10.2020

in-cosmetics 2021

Get to know reliable producers of innovative ingredients!
Meet us at in-cosmetics - the meeting place for personal care ingredients.

We will inform about reliable producers, such as from Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Colombia and Ecuador.

Our companies offer new, exotic ingredients, including essential oils and emulsions - obtained from cocoa, acai, cashew nuts, and plants such as rosemary, lavender and myrtle. Many products are available in organic quality.

All companies were visited and evaluated by IPD before the pandemic. We take into account criteria such as product quality, exportability and capacity as well as the fulfilment of international standards and certifications.

Details about our companies and their diverse product range will be available here from September.

For further information in advance please contact us:

Andreas Gemählich

IPD Exporters at in-cosmetics virtual 2020
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Trade fair in Rimini // 07. - 09.09.2021
Macfrut 2021
 
Trade fair in Rimini // 07. - 09.09.2021

Macfrut 2021

IPD presents its services for European importers at the trade fair for fresh fruit & vegetables in Rimini
- live on site and virtually

We provide European importers with carefully screened suppliers from our partner countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Colombia, Morocco, Peru and Ukraine. The companies offer a diverse range of products, including organic quality.

Importers benefit from these free services

  •  Free of charge mediation of contacts to verified exporters
  •  Fresh produce from January to December thanks to suppliers on different continents
  •  All companies meet the high requirements of the European market.

Learn more about our offer and meet us at Macfrut in Rimini.

www.machfrut.com

Trade fair // 05.10. - 07.10.2021
Fruit Attraction 2021
 
Trade fair // 05.10. - 07.10.2021

Fruit Attraction 2021

IPD exhibits at the international trade fair for fresh fruit & vegetables

After last year's Fruit Attraction was held as a digital trade fair, IPD is going to be on site again this year with its own booth.

We will introduce European importers to carefully screened suppliers from our partner countries, including Colombia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Côte dÌvoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Morocco, Peru and Ukraine. The companies offer a diverse range of products, including organic quality, such as:

  • Granadillas, mangoes, papayas, pomegranates
  • Avocados, physalis, grapes, dates and various berries
  • Sweet potatoes, peas, beans, snow peas, tomatoes, onions
  • Ginger, turmeric, chives, basil etc.

All companies have been carefully selected and evaluated by IPD. Criteria such as product quality, exportability and capacity as well as compliance with international standards and certifications were taken into account.

A detailed overview of the companies and all products will be available in September.

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact us:

Linda Mense

www.fruitattraction.com

Trade fair in Cologne // 09.10. - 13.10.2021
Anuga 2021
 
Trade fair in Cologne // 09.10. - 13.10.2021

Anuga 2021

IPD exhibits at the world's largest trade fair for food and beverages in Cologne, Germany

We present carefully screened producers from selected developing and emerging countries to the European trade.

A high quality, partly unusual range of products awaits you – starting with coconut prod-ucts such as coconut blossom sugar, coconut syrup, coconut flour, coconut oil, coconut chips or coconut water from Sri Lanka and Indonesia, organic peanuts from Egypt, dried fruits from Côte d`Ivoire and specialities such as saf-fron, olive oil as well as various date products from Tunisia… only to name a few examples from the diverse assortment of our companies.

Get to know innovative products and expand your portfolio.
We will be happy to provide you with detailed information about the producers in the run-up to Anuga.

All producers were beforehandvisited by the IPD and carefully evaluated. We take into account criteria such as product quality, export capability and capacity as well as compliance with international standards and certifications.

This way you can be assured of the product quality and the reliability of the exporters.

We network you with reliable suppliers.

Detailed information on IPD exporters and their product range will be available from September.

For any questions, please contact us:

Shakhnoza Kurbanalieva

www.anuga.de

Publications

Success Story
Fresh fruit & vegetables from the Ukraine
 
Success Story

Fresh fruit & vegetables from the Ukraine

UKRAINIAN FRUIT GROWERS IMPRESS WITH GOOD QUALITY AND SHORT DELIVERY ROUTES


The Ukrainian company Gadz provides high-quality fruit for the European market. Although it has only been in the IPD programme since 2020, Gadz has already convinced the British importer Fresh4U of the quality of its products and its value as a reliable supplier. This business relationship demonstrates the advantages of the Ukraine as a production location: besides geographic proximity, short transport routes and favourable farming conditions, the country also offers a wide range of fresh fruit & vegetables in high quality. IPD supports both exporters and importers to ensure that the collaboration is a success story for both sides.

Fresh fruit & vegetables from the Ukraine
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808 KB PDF
Success Story
Preparing for a new start in tourism
 
Success Story

Preparing for a new start in tourism

The Import Promotion Desk (IPD) is supporting the Ministry of Tourism in Ecuador (MINTUR) as it prepares to
relaunch tourism in the country. In conjunction with the consulting firm Hotel Resilient, which specialises in risk and
crisis management, the health and hygiene concepts for the tourism sector have been adapted to internationally
valid standards and a concept for hygiene and safety training has been developed. In the first three months, more than
400 Ecuadorian tourism professionals have already been trained; an e-learning program has also been launched.

IPD SUPPORTS ECUADOR IN THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW COVID-19 HYGIENE PROTOCOLS
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633 KB PDF
Success Story
Fresh fruit & vegetables from Egypt
 
Success Story

Fresh fruit & vegetables from Egypt

IPD successfully prepares young enterprise for the EU market

Creatick Pro was launched in 2017 with a lot of enthusiasm and a high-quality product range. Although their range was tailored for the EU market, a marketing strategy and contact to European partners were lacking. Creatick joined the IPD programme in autumn 2019, and the Egyptian enterprise is now rapidly conquering the European market.

IPD Success story - Fresh fruit & vegetables from Egypt
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574 KB PDF
Success Story
Dates from Tunisia
 
Success Story

Dates from Tunisia

IPD supports Demeter producer in setting up lasting trade partnerships

Beni Ghreb is the first company in Tunisia to be certified for its organic and biodynamic dates. Initially, however, it proved impossible to obtain the price for Demeter-certified dates for the entire production. Beni Ghreb therefore
applied for admission to the IPD programme with the aim of increasing sales of its products, especially to the organic sector in Europe. Since 2018, IPD has successfully liaised new business partners for Beni Ghreb.

 

Dates from Tunisia
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